Thursday, February 6, 2014

This Weekend's Hard Rock/Metal Concert Previews, Including The First Heavy Thursday!!

In today's post, we're previewing this weekend's slate of metal & hard rock shows in the Sault area, and while there's a lot of entertaining shows going down on both sides of the border, we'll start with a new weekly concert series' debut TONIGHT, so here's what you need to know, and if any late notice shows turn up, we'll have them A.S.A.P.!

Over 18 months after the original Roosevelt Hotel metal nights' last official installment took place, local concert promoter J.D. Pearce is bringing regular metal & punk shows back to The Rosie with Heavy Thursdays, whose first scheduled event goes down TONIGHT! Though the new series also has a new promoter and (mostly) new band selection, this will be a familiar and exciting return of sorts for fans who missed the regular Thursday nighters at this popular Korah Road venue, so who's playing in tonight's debut? Local melodic death metal quartet The Bear Hunters will return to familiar ground as the announced headliners (they were the original metal nights' most frequent band), so look for a brutal onslaught of originals tonight in their first show of the new year! Newer local hard rock quartet Punch (featuring two members each of Project 421 & The Suicide Kings) will rock The Rosie for the first time in just their third live appearance, and hopefully they'll rock hard tonight as well! The other band is new local funk/alternative quartet The Elements in their live concert debut, so what do we know on them?

I can confirm that their lineup features singer Rob Speers (The Side FX), guitarist Jesse Cook (Jack Spades/Winkstinger) and bassist James White (Redundant), and though I have an idea on the drummer's identity, I have yet to find official confirmation. No online pages yet, but hopefully they put on a great show in their debut tonight! Admission is $5, you must be 19 to attend, and there is a 10:00 PM start time. For more details, click here and the above links! There's a little something for everyone in TONIGHT'S first Heavy Thursday, and I'll see you there for the action! For a preview, here's The Bear Hunters playing "Casualties of War" at The Rosie in 2012!

Next up for our previews, we'll head across the river briefly, as Charlevoix classic metal trio Peril will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Their first Sault Ste. Marie stops of the new year, these come just one week after frontman Jeff Hudson played with his other metal band Scarkazm in St. Ignace, so hopefully the metal train keeps rolling in the Eastern U.P. with Jeff in more familiar surroundings with Peril! The guys will rock the stage with their classic metal and hard rock covers (and originals?) at 9:00 PM tomorrow and Saturday night, there's no announced cover charge, and like usual, there is a 21+ age limit in effect. For more details, check the above links! It's great to see Jeff, Adam, and Brooks keeping their presence high in these parts for what should be a busy year for Peril (and Scarkazm), so don't miss out on Peril's return to the Soo this weekend, and for a preview, here are the guys covering Ozzy Osbourne a few years back!

Moving back to Sault Ontario, local party/hard rock veterans Stiffler's Mom will return to Docks Riverfront Grill TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT for their second & third live dates of 2014! Last seen at Docks late last year, these precede singer/drummer Greg Simpson's scheduled dates with That's Chester at the same venue next weekend, so if you can't make it to Foster Drive this weekend, you can partially make it up sooner than expected! Of course, Stiffler's Mom's diverse and hard rocking sound should be welcomed once again tomorrow & Saturday, so if you're up for some classics and a good time, you know where to go! Like other recent Docks gigs, there is NO COVER this weekend, you must be 19 to attend, and a 10:00 PM-ish start time is likely. For more details, check the above links, and for a preview, here's the guys playing their original "Enjoy The Show"!

Finally for today's previews, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Harp Bar & Grill on Pine Street this weekend for his 10th straight weekly appearance there in his current arrangement with the former Madison's Pub, though not tomorrow night. For reasons still to be publicized, Tym's weekly concert/hosted-jam night will temporarily move to Saturday for two weeks before returning to Friday on the 21st, so if you like his current run at The Harp, or were planning to go this weekend, go on Saturday, NOT tomorrow! Despite the temporary day switch, the usual entertainment will be going down, with Tym's unplugged metal & hard rock songs sure to deliver some solid music, and don't forget about the open mic angle, whether you're a fan or performer! There's no announced cover charge, you must be 19 to attend, and there will be a start time of around 10:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Heart (get your tickets for them tomorrow!

That's all for today, but I'll see you guys at The Rosie TOMORROW NIGHT for the first Heavy Thursday, and stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!